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Figurative Sculptures For Sale
Viceroy by Marcelo Martin Burgos - Polished bronze sculpture of a robot, golden
Located in Paris, FR
Viceroy is a work by contemporary Argentinian artist Marcelo Martin Burgos. ‘The Robots’ series was developed during the imposed global lockdown at the beginning of 2020. During th...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Reclining Figure (woman)
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
William King (1925-2015). Reclining figure, ca. 1965. Cast and welded bronze, 7 x 9.5 x 5 inches. Unsigned. William King, a sculptor in a variety of materials whose human figures traced social attitudes through the last half of the 20th century, often poking sly and poignant fun at human follies and foibles, died on March 4 at his home in East Hampton, N.Y. He was 90. His death was confirmed by Scott Chaskey, who is married to Mr. King's stepdaughter, Megan Chaskey. Mr. King worked in clay, wood, bronze, vinyl, burlap and aluminum. He worked both big and small, from busts and toylike figures to large public art pieces depicting familiar human poses -- a seated, cross-legged man reading; a Western couple (he in a cowboy hat, she in a long dress) holding hands; a tall man reaching down to tug along a recalcitrant little boy; a crowd of robotic-looking men walking in lock step. But for all its variation, what unified his work was a wry observer's arched eyebrow, the pointed humor and witty rue of a fatalist. His figurative sculptures, often with long, spidery legs and an outlandishly skewed ratio of torso to appendages, use gestures and posture to suggest attitude and illustrate his own amusement with the unwieldiness of human physical equipment. His subjects included tennis players and gymnasts, dancers and musicians, and he managed to show appreciation of their physical gifts and comic delight at their contortions and costumery. His suit-wearing businessmen often appeared haughty or pompous; his other men could seem timid or perplexed or awkward. Oddly, or perhaps tellingly, he tended to depict women more reverentially, though in his portrayals of couples the fragility and tender comedy inherent in couplehood settled equally on both partners. Mr. King's work is in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, among other places, and he had dozens of solo gallery shows in New York and elsewhere. But the comic element of his work probably caused his reputation to suffer. Reviews of his exhibitions frequently began with the caveat that even though the work was funny, it was also serious, displaying superior technical skills, imaginative vision and the bolstering weight of a range of influences, from the ancient Etruscans to American folk art to 20th-century artists including Giacometti, Calder. and Elie Nadelman. The critic Hilton Kramer, one of Mr. King's most ardent advocates, wrote in a 1970 essay accompanying a New York gallery exhibit that he was, "among other things, an amusing artist, and nowadays this can, at times, be almost as much a liability as an asset." A "preoccupation with gesture is the focus of King's sculptural imagination," Mr. Kramer wrote. "Everything that one admires in his work - the virtuoso carving, the deft handling of a wide variety of materials, the shrewd observation and resourceful invention - all this is secondary to the concentration on gesture. The physical stance of the human animal as it negotiates the social arena, the unconscious gait that the body assumes in making its way in the social medium, the emotion traced by the course of a limb, a torso, a head, the features of a face, a coiffure or a costume - from a keen observation of these materials King has garnered a large stock of sculptural images notable for their wit, empathy, simplicity and psychological precision." William Dickey King...
Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Hebru Brantley Gaia (Hebru Brantley Lil Mama as Gaia)
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Hebru Brantley GAIA (Hebru Brantley Lil Mama as Gaia): Hebru Brantley’s ethereal art toy features his much iconic, Lil Mama character as Gaia, the fabled personification of Mother E...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Vinyl

Nuts About You
Located in Nottingham, GB
Welded nut sculpture. This stunning sculpture is created entirely from steel nuts and chain links. Every sculpture is meticulously hand crafted ensuring that no two pieces are ever...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Steel

Group II by Delphine Brabant - Figurative bronze sculpture, human silhouettes
Located in Paris, FR
Group II is a bronze sculpture by contemporary artist Delphine Brabant, dimensions are 17 × 26 × 6 cm (6.7 × 10.2 × 2.4 in). The sculpture is signed and numbered, it is part of a li...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Small Runner "Start" II by Yann Guillon - Figurative bronze sculpture, athlete
Located in Paris, FR
Small Runner "Start" II is a bronze sculpture by contemporary artist Yann Guillon, dimensions are 22 × 13 × 5 cm (8.7 × 5.1 × 2 in). Height of the sculpture with the metal base: 42 c...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Large Purple Pac-Man Ghost Glass Sculpture
Located in East Quogue, NY
Large Purple Glass Pac-Man Ghost Sculpture by Dylan Martinez. Size: 6 x 6.25 x 6.25" Signed on the base by the artist. Each sculpture is unique. These whimsical Pac-Man Ghost scu...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Blown Glass

Little Diver by Yann Guillon - Figurative bronze sculpture, man torso, human
Located in Paris, FR
Little Diver is a bronze sculpture by contemporary artist Yann Guillon, dimensions are 38 × 18 × 20 cm (15 × 7.1 × 7.9 in). Height of the sculpture with the metal base: 63 cm (24.8 i...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

The Suitcase by Cécile Raynal - Stoneware sculpture, suitcase, animals
Located in Paris, FR
The Suitcase is a unique smoke-fired stoneware sculpture by French contemporary artist Cécile Raynal, dimensions are 43 × 60 × 20 cm (16.93 × 23.62 × 7.87 in). This sculpture is a u...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Stoneware

KAWS, Cat Teeth Bank Limited Edition painted cast vinyl sculpture + original box
By KAWS
Located in New York, NY
KAWS Cat Teeth Bank (Navy Blue) in original box, 2007 Limited Edition painted cast vinyl 5 × 5 × 1 in Edition of 400, unnumbered Stamped on the underside This long sold out 2007 KAWS...
Category

Early 2000s Street Art Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Plastic

Herriet by Nando Kallweit. Elegant figurative sculpture.
Located in Coltishall, GB
Herriet is a figurative bronze sculpture in a relaxed pose by Nando Kallweit. Modelled on modern youthful postures but with a nod to the importance of heritage through the stylised ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Other Art Style Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Verso Te Italy Bronze Cast Woman Figurine Sculpture by Aron Demetz
Located in Brescia, IT
This intense bronze sculpture was made by the well known Italian artist, Aron Demetz, in 2004, Italy. This is a lost wax bronze hand painted. The title is "Verso te" translated in "T...
Category

Late 20th Century Post-Modern Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

"Neighborling Maquette 24" Patterned and Distressed Building Turret Sculpture
Located in Philadelphia, PA
is an original free-standing sculpture by Seth Clark as part of his newest solo exhibition, "Passing Through". Clark's deteriorating structures have evolved into imaginative composit...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood, Paper, Acrylic, Resin

ANTINOUS Magnificent Italian Neoclassical Carrara Marble Sculpture
Located in Rome, IT
Outstanding 19th century Italian finely carved Carrara "Statuario" marble sculpture of Antinoo , after the Antique The Capitoline 'Antinous'. Antinous, a young Bithinius favorite...
Category

19th Century Academic Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble

Them by Martine Demal - Bronze sculpture, standing human figures, abstract, grey
Located in Paris, FR
Them is a bronze sculpture by sculptor Martine Demal, dimensions are 49 x 15 x 11.5 cm (19.3 × 5.9 × 4.5 in). The sculpture is sold with a plexiglas base which dimensions are 15 x 11...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Fishing for Joy – Sitting, Contemporary Bronze Figure Sculpture
Located in Taichung, TW
Fishing for Joy – Sitting captures the leisurely pleasure of fishing, a pastime that is as much about patience and calm as it is about outsmarting the fish. The figure sits quietly with a hat shading the face, embodying a sense of ease, as if feeling the breeze drift by or perhaps drifting into a light nap. It reflects the essence of fishing not only as a test of patience but also as an experience of slowing down, enjoying nature, and savoring the simple passage of time. Huang uses varied carving textures to suggest different materials: the rugged irregular surface of the stone contrasts with the subtle gradation on the clothing, evoking the shimmering reflection of water. Cast in bronze using the lost-wax method, the sculpture faithfully preserves the wood grain and tactile quality of the original wooden carving. The surface patina replicates the natural coloration of the original, while the bamboo fishing rod...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Red Pumpkin (Dot Obsession Red) - Original sculpture with original case
Located in Paris, IDF
Yayoi Kusama Pumpkin red (Dots Obsession Red) A pumpkin sculpture made of resin Signed under the base of the sculpture Diameter: 8 cm Height: 10.5 cm Presented in the original edito...
Category

Late 20th Century Modern Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Resin

Large Antique Turtle Shell
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Large lofty wall hanging 19th century turtle shell with its iconic form and alluring organic variegated color scheme.
Category

19th Century Victorian Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Organic Material

Cigar Store Indian, Early 20th Century, Carved Wood With Polychrome Decoration
Located in Cotignac, FR
A 20th Century wood carved male figure, a 'Cigar Store Indian' with original polychrome decoration. A now controversial subject, but none the less charming rendition, of a native North American man originally probably used as an advertising figure. Wonderful quality of carving capturing the stance of the man looking out to the distance, hair flowing to his back and plait to the side, all the details of his costume, his native dress and hairpipe breastplate (suggesting he is possibly a Comanche) and chest ornament, apron, trousers, mocassins, shield and arrows. The original Polychrome decoration has weathered beautifully as has the wood itself to present a sculpture that would adorn any collection or interior. Because of the general illiteracy of the populace, early store owners used descriptive emblems or figures to advertise their shops' wares. American Indians and tobacco had always been associated because American Indians introduced tobacco to Europeans. As early as the 17th century, European tobacconists used figures of American Indians to advertise their shops. Because European carvers had never seen a Native American, these early cigar-store "Indians" looked more like Africans with feathered headdresses and other fanciful, exotic features. These carvings were called "Black Boys" or "Virginians" in the trade. Eventually, the European cigar-store figure...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Realist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood, Paint

Angry Wolf , Dutch Contemporary Bronze Sculpture Portrait of a Wolf
Located in Utrecht, NL
After studying Fine Art in the Netherlands Ans Zondag (1959) spent several years abroad in order to explore different artistic areas and to establish which technique suited her best....
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Il Grande Freddo Italy Cast Bronze Man Figurine Sculpture by Aron Demetz
Located in Brescia, IT
This intense bronze sculpture was made by the well known Italian artist, Aron Demetz, in 2004, Italy. This is a lost wax bronze hand painted. The title is "Il grande freddo" translat...
Category

Late 20th Century Post-Modern Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Pair of Vintage Blanc de Chine Bird or Parrot Figures
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Striking pair of French blanc de chine porcelain life size parrots or cockatoos casually perched on grapevines.
Category

20th Century Folk Art Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

Turquoise Woman, sculpture, by Troy Williams, wood, turquoise, steel, nude
Located in Santa Fe, NM
Turquoise Woman, sculpture, by Troy Williams, wood, turquoise, steel, nude
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Steel

Tête de Femme, after Modigliani
Located in Long Island City, NY
Tete de Femme after Modigliani, produced by Austin Productions in 1961. Austin Productions started in Brooklyn in 1952 and began manufacturing reprodu...
Category

1960s Modern Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Resin

Corpus Christi
Located in Wien, Wien
MUSEUM CORPUS CHRISTI Spain/Catalonia or Asturias Around 1250 Corpus hardwood, arms softwood Remains of the original polychrome setting Height 109.5...
Category

15th Century and Earlier Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Evi by Nando Kallweit. Elegant limited edition bronze sculpture, Edition of 25
Located in Coltishall, GB
Evi is an elegant figurative bronze sculpture by Nando Kallweit. Nando carved the marque for the body from a piece of oak using a small chain saw. The marque is then used to make th...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Nightfall Red, Atelier
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Cloaked in mystery, the female form of “Nightfall” intrigues us. Concealed is a beautiful face, but like nightfall itself, all is not revealed. The globes in each hand suggest the ar...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Ai Weiwei, Coca-Cola Glass Vase - Limited Edition Sculpture, Engraved Signature
Located in Hamburg, DE
Ai Weiwei (Chinese, b. 1957) Coca-Cola Glass Vase, 2023 Medium: Cast vase in translucent red glass Dimensions: ⌀ 19 cm x 21 cm x 21.2 cm (7 1/2 × 8 3/10 × 8 3/10 in) Edition of 300: ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Glass

Figural Bust Terracotta Sculpture, Alexander Ney, Goddess , 2019
Located in New York, NY
The ‘Goddess’ by visionary artist Alexander Ney was handcrafted using italian white terra cotta in 2019. Ney began his professional career as a highly productive visual artist, as a ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Terracotta

"Neighborling Maquette 28" Patterned Architectural Tower Figure by Seth Clark
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This piece, titled "Neighborling Maquette 28" s an original free-standing sculpture by Seth Clark as part of his newest solo exhibition, "Passing Through". Clark's deteriorating stru...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood, Paper, Acrylic, Resin

ID Superego 20%
By Monica Piloni
Located in New York, NY
Monica Piloni was born in Curitiba in 1978 and graduated from the Paraná School of Music and Fine Arts in 2002. She lives and works in Brussels, Belgium. Looking at her work as a whole, one can see the artist's interest in the representation of the female figure, which began as a consequence of having her own body as a living model. Most of her works have a common feature in the way they are constructed: mirroring. This feature distorts the body by omitting or multiplying elements, creating another dimension in the perception of the human figure that attracts at the same time as it repels. In this way, Monica reflects on the female experience, which includes subjective procedures for adapting to characters, patterns of behavior and archetypes, fashion and cosmetics, as well as physical procedures such as mutilation and other body modifications...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Violaine
Located in Malmo, SE
Publisher GKM. Free shipment worldwide. Foundry Bocquel. Edition of 80 ex. Arman wrote, “The bow on the strings releases an explosion of sounds,” in the book Trio à cordes published...
Category

1990s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

They Only Read Love Letters 26/50 - figurative, bronze sculpture
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This contemporary bronze figurative tabletop sculpture featuring animals is by Gillie and Marc. The British/Australian artistic duo of Gillie and Marc’s humorous bronze sculptures h...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Bicycle Wheel replica from the Philadelphia Museum (Duchamp Estate authorized)
Located in New York, NY
After Marcel Duchamp Bicycle Wheel replica from the Philadelphia Museum (estate authorized), 2002 Wheel and painted wood. In original box 11 × 6 1/2 × 3 4/5 inches In original box pr...
Category

Early 2000s Dada Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Metal

Italian Neoclassical Sculptural Group in Alabaster "The Rape of the Sabine Women" 18th
Located in Pistoia, IT
"The Rape of the Sabine Women," veined alabaster, large sculptural group with classical subject, Volterra manufacture, 18th century. The so-called Rape of the Sabine Women is a scu...
Category

1790s Italian School Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Alabaster

Seifert, Victor Heinrich. 1870 Wien - 1953 Berlin “Young athlete with slingshot”
Located in Berlin, DE
Seifert, Victor Heinrich. 1870 Vienna - 1953 Berlin "Young Athlete with Slingshot" "David" Large bronze, dark patinated, signed: Prof. V.H. Seifert Height: 71.5 cm, approx. 85 cm h...
Category

Early 20th Century Jugendstil Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Classicist Italian artist - 18th century terracotta figure sculpture - Venus
Located in Varmo, IT
Terracotta sculpture - Venus. Italy, 18th century. 27 x 22 x 45 cm. Made entirely of terracotta. Depicting a bathing Venus (small crack on the foot). - This item is sold with a c...
Category

Early 18th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Terracotta

Basquiat Warhol Haring Bearbrick 400%: set of 6 works (Basquiat BE@RBRICK)
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Jean Michel Basquiat Andy Warhol Keith Haring Bearbrick 400%: set of 6 individual works: A set of 6 unique, timeless pop art collectibles trademarked & licensed by the estates of Jea...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Resin, Vinyl

Cornucopia
Located in Greenwich, CT
Cornucopia pays homage to the great goddesses of abundance and fortune, with a modern twist – rather than showing the bounty of the earth overflowing from the horn, this Cornucopia o...
Category

20th Century Art Deco Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Aestus Bronze Sculpture Marble Stone Nude Boy Contemporary
Located in Utrecht, NL
Aestus Bronze Sculpture Marble Stone Nude Boy Contemporary Wim van der Kant (1949, Kampen) is a selftaught artist. Next to his busy profession as a teacher ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Grayson Perry - Piggy Bank
Located in London, GB
Grayson Perry Piggy Bank, 2017 White ceramic piggy bank painted in blue and glazed, with a rubber stopper, contained in the original cardboard box.
 9 × 21 × 9 cm
 Grayson Perry is ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Man on Persian Rug, Orientalist Bronze Sculpture by Franz Bergmann
Located in Long Island City, NY
Franz Bergmann, Austrian (1861 -1936) - Man on Persian Rug, Year: circa 1900, Medium: Cold painted Bronze sculpture, stamp signed on bottom, Size: 4.5 x 10 x 7 in. (11.43 x 25.4 x...
Category

Early 1900s Romantic Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

"SAM HOUSTON" HORN CARVING 1936 TEXAS CENTENNIAL AMAZING WORK
Located in San Antonio, TX
Dan Super "SAM HOUSTON" (1873-1953) Houston Artist Image Size: 3 3/4 inches tall Medium: Carved Horn of Sam Houston to celebrate the Texas Centennial. Texas Centennial 1936 "Sam Houston Pin Cushion Holder" Biography Dan Super (1873-1953) Dan E. Super, Jr. (1873 – 1953) Dan Super had the eye of a sculptor, envisioning and then creating hundreds of objects from the elongated form of a Texas Longhorn’s tusk. At the age of six, Dan Super carved his first drawing into a piece of the horn of a Texas Longhorn. Over the next 56 years, he made utilitarian pieces like pencil cups, pin cushions, and backscratchers, realistic replicas of animals and birds, and imaginative carvings of elegant nudes. While these carvings resemble the traditional art of scrimshaw, carvings from whale bone, we’ve not been able to identify another carver who used the Texas Longhorn as his material. “My work is done with an ordinary pocketknife, hacksaw file and rasp,” Super wrote in 1937. He used the horn in every way conceivable; whole, allowing the shape to define the object he was making, flattened to make mosaic or inlay work. He incised and pierced it and carved in the round. His own hands polished the horn to a sheen. Daniel Super, Jr. was born in Houston on August 22, 1873. His father owned stock years, D. Super and Brothers Co., providing the young Super with ready access to his raw material. Throughout his life, he worked in the businesses key to the identity and success of young, booming Houston, cattle, oil, real estate and rail. In 1896 he married Lula, and took over the family business, expanding it to include a grocery. He closed the company in 1912 and got into the oil business...
Category

1930s Realist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Other Medium

Bintou Italy 1969 Abstract Bronze Sculpture by Andrea Picini
Located in Brescia, IT
This is an intense bronze abstract sculpture and it was created by the Italian artist Andrea Picini. This artwork is a multiple of 70 specimens and it is numbered 69/70. It is signed...
Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

"The Farewell Kiss"
Located in Southampton, NY
This is a beautiful original bronze casting by the foremost Russian sculptor of his day Evgeny Lanceray. Artist signed on the base in Cyrillic (image 5) and is also inscribed on the ...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Rare African Solid Benin Bronze Ceremonial Throne Chair Multi Figure Sculpture
Located in Surfside, FL
Handmade Benin sculptural tribal bronze figural judgement throne chair. The base of the chair with two tiers of standing figures. The back of the chair with two more tiers of standin...
Category

Early 20th Century Tribal Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Early 20th Century Ceramic Sculpture of a Polo Player and Horse
By Waylande Gregory
Located in Beachwood, OH
Waylande Gregory (American, 1905-1971) Polo Player, c. 1930s Ceramic Inscribed signature on bottom 11 x 8.5 inches Waylande Gregory was considered a major American sculptor during the 1930's, although he worked in ceramics, rather than in the more traditional bronze or marble. Exhibiting his ceramic works at such significant American venues for sculpture as the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City and at the venerable Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, he also showed his ceramic sculptures at leading New York City galleries. Gregory was the first modern ceramist to create large scale ceramic sculptures, some measuring more than 70 inches in height. Similar to the technique developed by the ancient Etruscans, he fired his monumental ceramic sculptures only once. Gregory was born in 1905 in Baxter Springs, Kansas and was something of a prodigy. Growing up on a ranch near a Cherokee reservation, Gregory first became interested in ceramics as a child during a native American burial that he had witnessed. He was also musically inclined. In fact, his mother had been a concert pianist and had given her son lessons. At eleven, he was enrolled as a student at the Kansas State Teacher's College, where he studied carpentry and crafts, including ceramics. Gregory's early development as a sculptor was shaped by the encouragement and instruction of Lorado Taft, who was considered both a major American sculptor as well as a leading American sculpture instructor. In fact, Taft's earlier students included such significant sculptors as Bessie Potter Vonnoh and Janet Scudder. But, Taft and his students had primarily worked in bronze or stone, not in clay; and, Gregory's earliest sculptural works were also not in ceramics. In 1924, Gregory moved to Chicago where he caught the attention of Taft. Gregory was invited by Taft to study with him privately for 18 months and to live and work with him at his famed "Midway Studios." The elegant studio was a complex of 13 rooms that overlooked a courtyard. Taft may have been responsible for getting the young man interested in creating large scale sculpture. However, by the 1920's, Taft's brand of academic sculpture was no longer considered progressive. Instead, Gregory was attracted to the latest trends appearing in the United States and Europe. In 1928 he visited Europe with Taft and other students. "Kid Gregory," as he was called, was soon hired by Guy Cowan, the founder of the Cowan Pottery in Cleveland, Ohio, to become the company's only full time employee. From 1928 to 1932, Gregory served as the chief designer and sculptor at the Cowan Pottery. Just as Gregory learned about the process of creating sculpture from Taft, he literally learned about ceramics from Cowan. Cowan was one of the first graduates of Alfred, the New York School of Clayworking and Ceramics. Alfred had one of the first programs in production pottery. Cowan may have known about pottery production, but he had limited sculptural skills, as he was lacking training in sculpture. The focus of the Cowan Pottery would be on limited edition, table top or mantle sculptures. Two of the most successful of these were Gregory's "Nautch Dancer," (fig. 1) and his "Burlesque Dancer," (fig. 2). He based both sculptures on the dancing of Gilda Gray, a Ziegfield Follies girl. Gilda Gray was of Polish origin and came to the United States as a child. By 1922, she would become one of the most popular stars in the Follies. After losing her assets in the stock market crash of 1929, she accepted other bookings outside of New York, including Cleveland, which was where Gregory first saw her onstage. She allowed Gregory to make sketches of her performances from the wings of the theatre. She explained to Gregory, "I'm too restless to pose." Gray became noted for her nautch dance, an East Indian folk dance. A nautch is a tight, fitted dress that would curl at the bottom and act like a hoop. This sculpture does not focus on Gray's face at all, but is more of a portrait of her nautch dance. It is very curvilinear, really made of a series of arches that connect in a most feminine way. Gregory created his "Burlesque Dancer" at about the same time as "Nautch Dancer." As with the "Nautch Dancer," he focused on the movements of the body rather than on a facial portrait of Gray. Although Gregory never revealed the identity of his model for "Burlesque Dancer," a clue to her identity is revealed in the sculpture's earlier title, "Shimmy Dance." The dancer who was credited for creating the shimmy dance was also Gilda Gray. According to dance legend, Gray introduced the shimmy when she sang the "Star Spangled Banner" and forgot some of the lyrics, so, in her embarrassment, started shaking her shoulders and hips but she did not move her legs. Such movement seems to relate to the "Burlesque Dancer" sculpture, where repeated triangular forms extend from the upper torso and hips. This rapid movement suggests the influence of Italian Futurism, as well as the planar motion of Alexander Archipenko, a sculptor whom Gregory much admired. The Cowan Pottery was a victim of the great depression, and in 1932, Gregory changed careers as a sculptor in the ceramics industry to that of an instructor at the Cranbrook Academy in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Cranbrook was perhaps the most prestigious place to study modern design in America. Its faculty included the architect Eliel Saarinen and sculptor Carl Milles. Although Gregory was only at Cranbrook for one and one half years, he created some of his finest works there, including his "Kansas Madonna" (fig. 3). But, after arriving at Cranbrook, the Gregory's had to face emerging financial pressures. Although Gregory and his wife were provided with complimentary lodgings, all other income had to stem from the sale of artworks and tuition from students that he, himself, had to solicit. Gregory had many people assisting him with production methods at the Cowan Pottery, but now worked largely by himself. And although he still used molds, especially in creating porcelain works, many of his major new sculptures would be unique and sculpted by hand, as is true of "Kansas Madonna." The scale of Gregory's works were getting notably larger at Cranbrook than at Cowan. Gregory left the surface of "Kansas Madonna" totally unglazed. Although some might object to using a religious title to depict a horse nursing its colt, it was considered one of Gregory's most successful works. In fact, it had a whole color page illustration in an article about ceramic sculpture titled, "The Art with the Inferiority Complex," Fortune Magazine, December, 1937. The article notes the sculpture was romantic and expressive and the sculpture was priced at $1,500.00; the most expensive sculpture in the article. Gregory was from Kansas, and "Kansas Madonna" should be considered a major sculptural document of Regionalism. Gregory and his wife Yolande moved to New Jersey in the summer of 1933. And the artist began construction on his new home in the Watchung Mountains of Bound Brook (Warren today) in 1938. His enormous, custom kiln was probably constructed at the start of 1938. Gregory's new sculptures were the largest ceramic sculptures in western art, in modern times. To create these works of ceramic virtuosity, the artist developed a "honeycomb" technique, in which an infrastructure of compartments was covered by a ceramic "skin." Science and atomic energy were a theme in Gregory's most significant work, the "Fountain of the Atom" (fig. 4), at the 1939 New York's World Fair. This major work included twelve monumental ceramic figures at the fairground entrance from the newly constructed railway entrance, giving the work great visibility and prominence. The framework of the fountain itself was of steel and glass bricks. It consisted of a bluish green pool which was sixty five feet in diameter. Above it were two concentric circular tiers, or terraces, as Gregory called them; the first wider than the second. On the first terrace were eight "Electrons," comprised of four male and four female terra cotta figures, each approximately 48 inches high. These relate to the valance shell of the atom. Above them on a narrower terrace, were the much larger and heavier terra cotta figures depicting the four elements, each averaging about 78 inches in height and weighing about a ton and a half. Of the four, "Water" and "Air" were male, while "Earth" and "Fire" were female. This terrace represents the nucleus of the atom. In the center of the fountain, above the "Elements," was a central shaft comprised of sixteen glass tubes from which water tumbled down from tier to tier. At the top, a colorful flame burned constantly. The glass block tiers were lit from within, the whole creating a glowing and gurgling effect. Since the fair was temporary, the figures could be removed after its closing. But the credit for the design of the structure of the fountain belongs to collaborator Nembhard Culin, who was responsible for several other structures on the fair grounds as well. Although Gregory created a figure of "Fire" for the "Fountain of the Atom," he also executed a second, slightly smaller but more defined version which he exhibited at various locations (including Cranbrook, Baltimore Museum, etc.) in 1940-1941, during the second year of the fair (fig.5). Measuring 61 inches in height, "Fire" may be a metaphor for sexual energy, as well as atomic energy. Gregory stated, "Fire is represented by an aquiline female figure being consumed in endless arabesques of flame." Portraiture was also a significant focus of Gregory's sculpture. Gregory produced many commissioned portraits of local people as well as celebrities. He created Albert Einstein's portrait from life (fig. 6, ca. 1940) after Einstein had seen Gregory's "Fountain of the Atom." He also sculpted some of the leading figures in entertainment, including 2 sculptures of Henry Fonda, who became a personal friend. Gregory also sculpted a series of idealized female heads, both in terra cotta and in porcelain. These include "Girl with Olive" (ca. 1932) and "Cretan Girl;"(ca. 1937) both are very reductive and almost abstract works that call to mind Constantine Brancusi's "Mademoiselle Pogany" (1912, Philadelphia Museum of Art). But perhaps one of his most original female heads is "Head of a Child" (fig. 7, ca. 1933), a sensitive white glazed terra cotta portrayal with elaborately crafted braded hair, was originally created as one of a pair. Gregory also produced sculptural works for the Works Progress Administration. The WPA was a work relief project that greatly helped artists during the great depression. Founded by the Federal Government in 1935, an estimated 2500 murals were produced. Among these public works were the iconic post office murals. But, among the painted murals were also sculptural relief murals including Gregory's "R.F.D.," 1938, for the Columbus, Kansas Post Office. But, Gregory's largest WPA relief...
Category

1930s Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Artemis by Nando Kallweit. Elegant figurative sculpture.
Located in Coltishall, GB
Artemis is a figurative bronze sculpture in a relaxed pose by Nando Kallweit. Modelled on modern youthful postures but with a nod to the importance of heritage through the stylised ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Other Art Style Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Magnificent Marble Sculpture of Roman Mythological Subject Minerva 1780
Located in Rome, IT
Finely carved mythological roman subject of Minerva in Marble Travertino . Excellent condition from an estate of Veneto. Measurements: Statue cm 180 . Minerva (Pallas Athena in Greek...
Category

Late 18th Century Academic Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble

Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre - Crafts - Mexican Folk Art Paper
Located in Jesus del Monte, MX
MASTERPIECE Piece made of cardboard, delicately hand painted by the most expert artisans of Guadalajara Jalisco, México. LISTING =================================== 1 Cardboard handpainted Virgin =================================== DIMENSIONS =================================== 24" x 24" x 8" in or 60 x 60 x 20 cm =================================== DETAILS =================================== Time of Preparation: 2 months Made: Guadalajara, Jalisco, México. Artisan: Danilo Lopez Ochoa...
Category

2010s Folk Art Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Cardboard

Half-blood Horse, head raised
Located in PARIS, FR
Half-blood Horse, head raised by Antoine-Louis BARYE (1796-1875) A bronze sculpture with a dark brown patina Signed on the base " Barye " Cast by " F. Barbedienne fondeur " (with th...
Category

Late 19th Century French School Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Opryland U.S.A (The Guitar Player)
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Opryland (The Guitar Player)" 1995, is a bronze sculpture by noted American artist Mark Hopkins, b.1965. It is signed, titled, dated and numbered 30/2500 on the ...
Category

Late 20th Century American Realist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

CHROMA aka Rick Wolfryd "THE GREATEST" Sculpture from Huichol ALTERATIONS Series
Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México
THE GREATEST!!!!!! ALTERATION ART . . . is a collaboration process between CHROMA aka Rick Wolfryd, fine artist and art dealer with over 40 years experience, and various Mexican Hui...
Category

2010s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Glass, Mixed Media

Jean-Léon Gérôme La Danseuse au Cerceau - Gilt Bronze Statue of a Hoop Dancer
Located in New York, NY
Jean-Léon Gérôme French 1824 - 1904 La Joueuse De Cerceau - The Hoop Dancer A mini gilt bronze female figural statue of a young hoop dancer inspired by a trove of ancient terraco...
Category

19th Century Academic Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Equestrian Louis of Orleans
Located in PARIS, FR
Equestrian Louis of Orleans by Emmanuel FREMIET (1824-1910) A very fine bronze equestrian group with a gilded patina Signed " E. Fremiet " on the base Cast by " F. Barbedienne Fond...
Category

Late 19th Century French School Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Dancing in the Wind original Shona stone sculpture by Wellington Karuru
Located in Milwaukee, WI
'Dancing in the Wind' is an original opal serpentine sculpture by the Zimbabwean artist Wellington Karuru. The artist presents an elegant and curvilinear figure of a woman, her hair seeming to billow upward and behind her. The sculpture is on one hand a celebration of the stone material, and on the other it calls back to art historical precedent: her body is brought to a high polish, reflecting the softness of skin, while her hair is left rough-hewn to create the effect of the untamed wind. At the same time, the woman's body is highly stylized and emphasizes her hips and belly, recalling Paleolithic "Venus" sculptures like the lauded Venus of Willendorf and thusly ideas of maternity and womanhood. opal stone (serpentine) not signed 23" high x 8" widest point x 4" smallest point, sculpture 4"x4"x4", sculpture bottom 1 x 6 x 6 inches, base Overall excellent condition with no signs of wear Sculpture comes with base. Born on August 17, 1976, Wellington Karuru is the first born to a family of five children and has two brothers and two sisters. As the first born child in a Zimbabwean family, many responsibilities were shouldered upon Wellington. Both his brothers, Gilbert and Esau, are also talented sculptors. He completed his primary and secondary education in Mashonaland West Province and was involved in almost every sporting activity at the school. After he graduated, he was employed at National Foods LTD where he worked as a machine operator for a period of four years and was later promoted to work as a sales clerk. In his free time he assisted some well known artists in sculpting, was able to learn much from them and soon thereafter started to develop his own talent and unique style. Inspired by such well known sculptors such as Gardener Sango and Garison Muchinjili, Wellington started sculpting small pieces for himself and soon found a buyer for his favorite piece titled ‘A Cry For Help’. From that day forward, he has never looked back. He eventually went to work with Garison Machinjili whose influence is clearly shown in his work. Some of his pieces have been chosen already for international exhibitions and galleries. Well established and internationally renowned artists like Joe Mutasa...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Stone

Set of Extraordinary Italian Stone Statues Representing the Four Seasons
Located in Rome, IT
Four season ,monumental classically draped female figures and their distinguishing symbols on a square base. Autumn, winter, spring and summer. Timeless classical decoration for you...
Category

20th Century Academic Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Limestone

Quis Mihi Iniuriam Facet Bronze Sculpture Nude Boy Male Figure Marble In Stock I
Located in Utrecht, NL
Sizes including stone pedestal 97 x 22 x 22 cm Wim van der Kant (1949, Kampen) is a selftaught artist. Next to his busy profession as a teacher at a high school, he intensively practises his profession as a sculptor. Only when his work would measure up to his own standards, he decided to present it to the rest of the world. In 1995, he exhibited for the first time with Morren Galleries. Van der Kant desires to sculpt young people who still stand uninhibited and curiously in life. The reason he chooses to sculpt boys is, because he is one himself, this way the subject is closer to him. The anatomy of his figures testify of perfectionism. Van der Kant's subjects show similarities with the sculptures from the Greek and Roman antiquity...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Forest Green ceramic balloon sculpture handmade for wall, ceiling -Medium size
Located in Tel Aviv, IL
This deep green color glossy ceramic balloon sculpture is a balloon for life and an art collectors piece. Its Vivid glossy color enhances sophisticated and cheerful space environment...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic, Clay, Coating, Glaze

Panther sniffing
Located in PARIS, FR
Panther sniffing by Georges GUYOT (1885-1972) Rare sculpture in bronze with a nuanced dark brown patina Signed on the base " Guyot " Cast by " Susse Frères Editeurs Paris " (with the foundry mark) France circa 1935 height 33,5 cm length 49 cm depth 12 cm Biography : Georges Lucien Guyot (1885-1973) known as Georges Guyot was a French animal artist. From an early age, he showed artistic abilities, but the modest conditions of his parents did not allow him to study art. He was doing his apprenticeship with a woodcarver. Guyot then excelled at copying works of the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, but soon he showed a special attraction for nature. This attraction led him to the Jardin des Plantes in Paris where he could study wild animals and translated his observations into sculpture and painting. As a famous figure of Montmartre, he was the host of the Bateau-Lavoir from the time of Cubism. In 1931, Georges Guyot joined the group of "The Twelve", created by François Pompon and Jane Poupelet, gathering sculptors like Marcel Lémar, Paul Jouve, André Margat, Jean-Claude de Saint-Marceaux, Georges Hilbert, or even the painter Adrienne Jouclard...
Category

1930s Art Deco Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Bring Figurative Sculptures into Your Home

Figurative sculptures mix reality and imagination, with the most common muse being the human body. Animals are also inspirations for these sculptures, along with forms found in nature.

While figurative sculpture dates back over 35,000 years, the term came into popularity in the 20th century to distinguish it from abstract art. It was aligned with the Expressionist movement in that many of its artists portrayed reality but in a nonnaturalistic and emotional way. In the 1940s, Alberto Giacometti — a Swiss-born artist who was interested in African art, Cubism and Surrealism — created now-iconic representational sculptures of the human figure, and after World War II, figurative sculpture as a movement continued to flourish in Europe.

Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon were some of the leading figurative artists during this period. Artists like Jeff Koons and Maurizio Cattelan propelled the evolution of figurative sculpture into the 21st century.

Figurative sculptures can be whimsical, uncanny and beautiful. Their materials range from stone and wood to metal and delicate ceramics. Even in smaller sizes, the sculptures make bold statements. A bronze sculpture by Salvador Dalí enhances a room; a statuesque bull by Jacques Owczarek depicts strength with its broad chest while its thin legs speak of fragility. Figurative sculptures allow viewers to see what is possible when life is reimagined.

Browse 1stDibs for an extensive collection of figurative sculptures and find the next addition to your collection.

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